Chapter 51: Chapter 51: The Annoying Jinbao

In the end, Lu Xiao didn’t get his big gift. Su Tang said his parents were coming, so they’d have to put it off.

But Lu Xiao wasn’t a fool; he had a pretty good idea what it was.

’What gift could be greater than Su Tang’s heart?’

As it happened, he had a gift for Su Tang, too. He’d just give it to her after his parents left.

After all, good things come to those who wait.

Su Tang might have said that, but for the next few days at work, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Five days later, when Su Tang got home from work in the evening…

When she saw Lu Xiao’s parents, Su Tang felt the little confidence she’d just managed to build up instantly vanish, as if blown away by a strong Northwest wind.

She felt like a first-grader on stage for the first time, unsure where to put her hands or feet. The smile she forced was so stiff it felt like it might crack.

Lu Xiao’s father, Lu Zhenfeng, was tall and stood with a ramrod-straight back.

He wore a faded, old-style military uniform, his face deeply lined. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, radiating an imposing aura that could only have been cultivated over many years in the army.

He simply nodded at Su Tang and said, “You’re here.” Yet the invisible pressure of his presence made her subconsciously hold her breath.

However, the woman standing beside Lu Zhenfeng, Lu Xiao’s mother Li Xiulan, was like a gentle spring breeze that instantly blew away the chill in Su Tang’s heart.

Li Xiulan was slightly plump, dressed in a clean, floral-print cotton shirt. Her hair was combed immaculately, and her face held a gentleness that came with age.

From the very first glance, her eyes landed on Su Tang. There wasn’t a hint of criticism in her gaze, only pure curiosity and affection.

When Su Tang was so nervous her voice tightened and she stammered out, “Dad… Mom…” Li Xiulan’s eyes instantly lit up.

She took a few steps forward, grasped Su Tang’s slightly cold hand, and spoke with a thick Shanghai accent.

“Oh, my goodness, you must be Tangtang, right? I’ve heard my Xiao talk about you, and now I finally see you in the flesh! You’re just… so lovely! Absolutely stunning!”

As she spoke, she looked Su Tang up and down, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration and fondness.

Lu Xiao’s hometown bordered Shanghai. Although it was the countryside, some people there also spoke the Shanghai dialect.

The familiar local accent and the direct, sincere praise were like a warm current that put Su Tang at ease.

Su Tang’s tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and a shy smile appeared on her face. “Mom… you’re too kind.”

“Not at all!”

Li Xiulan patted her hand with a beaming smile. “You were just born beautiful!”

’At first, I wasn’t happy about it, but now that I see Su Tang, I know we made the right decision.’

’If Professor Su’s family hadn’t fallen on hard times, my son probably never would have gotten to marry her.’

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted warmly while holding hands, and the atmosphere immediately became harmonious.

Lu Xiao stood to the side, a smile appearing in his eyes as he watched his mother calm his nervous wife with just a few words.

He walked over and naturally put an arm around Su Tang’s shoulder, and the family shared a warm, happy moment.

Just then, a smarmy voice cut in. “Auntie, Brother Xiao, Sister-in-law, we shouldn’t just stand here talking in the doorway! How tiring! I’ll get the luggage! I’ll get it!”

Everyone’s gaze then turned to the young man following behind Lu Zhenfeng and Li Xiulan.

He looked to be in his early twenties. He wasn’t tall and was so thin he appeared almost frail.

He wore an ill-fitting old jacket with a collar that was shiny from wear.

He had an overly eager smile plastered on his face, but his eyes darted about, giving him an air of sly cleverness.

His gaze tended to wander when he looked at people, and when it landed on Su Tang, it lingered with a slimy quality that was deeply uncomfortable.

The smile on Lu Xiao’s face faded a little. He introduced him, “Tangtang, this is a distant nephew from back home, Jinbao. He came along with Mom and Dad to have a look around.”

He turned to Jinbao, his tone flat. “Jinbao, this is your sister-in-law, Su Tang.”

Lu Xiao didn’t like Jinbao, but he had to admit he was grateful to him this time; thanks to him, Mr. and Mrs. Lu had arrived safely.

“Hello, Sister-in-law! Hello!”

Jinbao immediately bowed and scraped, his smile fawning. “Brother Xiao, Sister-in-law is a goddess descended from heaven! You couldn’t find someone as fresh and lovely as her in all the villages for miles around!”

Jinbao didn’t forget to keep up the flattery as he moved the luggage, but the phrase “fresh and lovely,” when it came out of his mouth, had an indescribably greasy feel to it.

“Sister-in-law standing with Brother Xiao, that’s what you call a perfect match! A talented man and a beautiful woman!”

His words were as sweet as honey, but his eyes uncontrollably roamed over Su Tang’s lovely face and the well-tailored, light-colored, fine-checked Lenin-style suit she was wearing.

…with undisguised envy and a barely perceptible trace of greed.

His stare made Su Tang uncomfortable all over. Forcing down her discomfort, she just gave a faint nod. “Hello.”

’I already instinctively dislike this silver-tongued distant nephew with his shifty eyes.’

Lu Zhenfeng grunted from the side, clearly not too pleased with his nephew’s behavior, and said in a deep voice, “That’s enough. Let’s go inside.”

It was obvious none of them wanted to pay much attention to Jinbao, and they didn’t speak to him much after entering the house.

Li Xiulan saw that Su Tang disliked Jinbao and made a point to explain.

“His parents wanted him to come with us to see the world. He’ll just be staying for two days, and then we’ll be leaving.”

Hearing her mother-in-law’s words, Su Tang felt a sense of relief. She smiled and nodded. “It’s alright, Mom. Since he’s already here, it’s no problem if he stays a few more days.”

’But I really hope that annoying Jinbao leaves soon.’

Lu Xiao welcomed his parents and Jinbao into the house and, after getting them seated, went to the kitchen to pour a few glasses of hot water.

Li Xiulan pulled Su Tang to sit beside her, looking her over as if she were her own daughter, looking here and touching there, murmuring, “Tangtang, ah, your hands are so cold. You need to wear more, don’t catch a chill.”

As she spoke, she took off her own woolen shawl and was about to drape it over Su Tang. Su Tang quickly refused, “Mom, I’m not cold. You should wear it, don’t you get cold.”

But Li Xiulan wouldn’t listen. She insisted on wrapping the shawl around Su Tang and patted her on the shoulder, her face full of affection.

At that moment, Jinbao sidled up to them, saying with a grin, “Auntie is so good to Sister-in-law. I’m so jealous that Sister-in-law has such a good mother-in-law!”

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Su Tang again, making her so uncomfortable that she instinctively leaned closer to Li Xiulan.

Lu Zhenfeng frowned at Jinbao and said in a low, stern voice, “Sit properly. And stop talking nonsense!”

Only then did Jinbao shrink back and sit down properly, but his shifty eyes were still darting around, as if he was already scheming something.

At dinner that evening, Su Tang specially made several of her best dishes, wanting to give Lu Xiao’s parents a good meal.

At the dinner table, Li Xiulan kept putting food on Su Tang’s plate and endlessly praised her cooking skills. “Tangtang, this food is even better than what you’d get at a restaurant! My Xiao is a lucky man!”

Su Tang blushed from the praise and said with her head lowered, “Mom, I’m just glad you like it. I’ll cook for you often in the future.”

Lu Xiao also smiled and put food on Su Tang’s plate, his eyes full of tenderness.

But Jinbao’s words broke the calm.

“Sister-in-law’s cooking is so good. Can I learn how to cook from you?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep